Fancy a Cup?
by xxxDreamingflowerxxx
Summary: It's just a drink, just a conversation. It's too strange to be credible and yet, here they are.


I came up with this little idea two days ago and thought it was a good idea to share it while I'm still working on the next chapter of BTaS. At least it'll quench a bit of your shipper's thirst.

I want to thank my lovely beta Midori for her help. I don't know what to do without her.

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**Fancy a Cup?**

"Thank you for your patience. Your order is ready."

The waitress carefully placed two cups on the table. Her fingers were fidgeting nervously as she glanced at the man in front of her. He was tall and extremely handsome. He wore a white V-neck shirt, leather pants, a golden necklace and two bracelets on both his wrists. But what was most striking was his short blond hair and blood-red eyes.

He did not even pay her any mind and only waved her away with his hand, but it was enough to have her disappear in seconds and without a word. There was a heavy air at his table and even the other customers had taken notice of it.

The golden man reached out for his cup and carefully observed its content with narrowed eyes. He did not have high expectations for it, the cafe should have been more than honoured that he had even bothered to set foot in their place.

Despite those thoughts, he was showing a triumphant smirk, his eyes turned back to observing the woman sitting across from him. She was a blonde, short woman. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail and strangely, she was dressed in a black suit that was more commonly seen on males. Unlike the man's expression, his companion was guarded, and her stoic emerald orbs glared at him. For outsiders seeing these two people in such contrasting attires and with such different attitudes was an odd sight to witness.

"There is no need for such hostility, Saber," the man commented. "It is not dark yet and I am in a generous mood. I promised you that you would not have to worry for that doll, so do not let this opportunity go to waste."

'Saber' continued to glare at the man, her eyes shifting only slightly towards the cup of black tea that was placed in front of her. Hesitantly, she brought the cup to her lips and drank slowly. The blond man watched her every move with interest.

After she placed the cup back, she turned her attention back on her companion.

"What is it that you want from me, Archer?" Her voice was demanding but composed.

"I just felt like drinking something from this world," he stated, sounding almost bored, while he also took a sip from his drink.

His expression however turned sour a second later and he immediately slammed the cup back. "Disgusting!" he glowered. "These mongrels have a lot of nerve to serve me this!"

Saber almost wanted to roll her eyes but decided against it. "You were the one who made the order."

"And that should compel them to serve me the best they have! Not this disgusting excuse for a drink!"

Saber wondered what individual decided that it was a good idea to mix a drink that would make someone restless with alcohol, or even dare to drink it. She didn't even see the point in this strange... encounter. There was no need for either of them to eat or drink, for none of them were exactly human.

Maybe she had no right to criticise the person who invented that Irish Coffee, since she was currently —while reluctantly— drinking tea with Archer, the Servant —or individual— whom she had no desire to interact with. She had no right to talk about good ideas.

Saber glanced up from her cup. Archer was scolding the poor waitress and demanded something of 'quality befitting someone of his being'. It was still hard for Saber to believe that there existed someone with an ego that seemed to know no bounds.

It wouldn't surprise her if the poor girl resigned the next day.

"You still haven't answered my question, Archer." Saber stated. "What is it that you want from me? I doubt you have an interest in the type of drinks they serve during this age. No, not you, who claim to have all the riches and treasures. Why waste your time with this kind of thing? It is meaningless for both of us and I have no desire to waste any more of my time on something as unproductive as this."

Amusement crossed Archer's eyes while Saber tried to interrogate him. The woman kept her guard up, she still disliked him and especially after what happened during the banquet with their fellow Heroic Spirit, Rider.

"What do you think of this era?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Archer's unexpected question caught Saber off guard.

"What is your opinion on this era?" Archer repeated, although in a slightly different tone.

It took her a few seconds before she registered what Archer had asked. The current era? Her opinion? Why did he want to know? She had never even thought about it.

"It's… different, I'm quite surprised at all the inventions the humans have been able to come up with after my time, and they have built so many things, too. But otherwise, I do not have much of an opinion. I am here temporarily until the end of this war. There is no need for me to ponder over something so unnecessary."

A chuckle escaped Archer's mouth, as if he had heard a good joke. "I find this world unsightly, it is utterly hideous. While they did create valuable things, humans have become too comfortable with their present lives that they have begun to stagnate."

Archer's strange response made Saber frown. "What are you saying?" she asked carefully. "Just because they're living in a period of peace does not mean that they aren't developing."

"Humans are driven by their desire to survive. Conflict is what gives them that drive. They wish to live, they work hard to provide food, they grow stronger to protect what they cherish, their society develops to fulfil their desire; however, if their lives are comfortable, humans will not bother to improve because there is no need to, and as a result humanity will stagnate."

For Saber it was hard to comprehend what Archer was telling her. She knew he was prone to spouting a lot of absurd things. She huffed, "I am starting to believe that Caster has more common sense than you."

Archer gave her a strange look. Saber did not know what he was thinking, but he did not seem to be that bothered by her opinion of him, unlike before.

"That opinion of yours is a given. Despite your title, King of Knights, you are still shackled to your human thoughts and emotions. But even during your short reign, you should have become well aware of how hard your people fought to keep that tiny piece of land safe."

Saber did not answer and took another sip of her drink. Yes, she was aware of all the efforts her people had put in all the battles. She knew it clearly since she had been the one in charge. Her mind flashed to those painful moments. She had killed so many people, she had fought and fought and fought, all for her dream, and it had ended up being in vain.

Her hand gripped the handle of her cup so tightly she almost put a dent in it, had she not remembered her strength as a Heroic Spirit just in time.

The woman regained her focus and instead decided to glance outside.

Unlike her homeland, Britain, Japan was peaceful. The people walked by without a care. Children were laughing, adults chatting. There was not even one glimpse of the blood and pain she had been accustomed to. This was what she had wanted for her land. She had wanted for her people to live in peace without any fear and worry while they prospered.

After some contemplation, Saber finally decided to bring her attention back to Archer. He was staring at a glass of wine that he was holding, having decided to give up on Irish Coffee.

"Isn't it a bit early to drink?" she asked. The woman had no intention of continuing to talk about the previous topic.

"That is for me to decide," Archer stated. He took a sip from his glass, his expression not looking any better than when he had drunk the coffee, but unlike before he endured it. "It seems that this place does not have the capacity to serve quality products," he sneered, "but at least it's better than the mongrel's collection."

Saber wasn't sure if Archer was talking to her or to himself, thus she decided to keep quiet.

The silence between them continued for a short while, while Archer was trying to savour his wine and Saber was wondering why she was still sitting across from him.

The quietude ceased when the two Servants noticed a waitress approaching them. It was a different waitress from before, but she seemed just as tense.

Archer's harsh treatment had not gone unnoticed.

"Here is your Mont Blanc, sir." She announced calmly as she placed the dessert on the table and left.

Saber immediately sent Archer a questioning look.

"A confection, to sweeten that indifferent mood of yours." He gestured towards her.

"Are you insulting me, Archer?" Saber's tone grew cold and her eyes were again glaring at the man. She had the urge to run her sword through his body, but she did not dare to do such a thing in public and especially not in broad daylight.

"You seem to jump to conclusions quickly. Not that I mind." His mouth stretched into a smile that made Saber uncomfortable. "Your expressions are more than delightful for me."

"I have no need for confections! You can eat it yourself!" Saber had the urge to just get up and leave, but as the King of Knights, she could not do that. Her pride did not allow her. If she were to leave, it would mean that he had gotten under her skin and that was something she refused to let happen.

A sigh escaped Archer as he grabbed a fork and carefully took a piece of the dessert. Saber watched in silence as Archer took a bite from it.

"They are lucky that their pastries are more to my liking than their beverages," he mumbled.

Archer cut another piece and, to Saber's surprise, he offered it to her. She did not react however, only eyed him with dubious curiosity. "I remember stating before that I have no need for confections," she repeated.

"I have given you the honour to spend some time in my presence, you should be grateful that I am being this generous with you. Now do not waste this opportunity, you are not forbidden from trying anything from this era."

Saber grimaced while glancing at the oddly-shaped dessert. While Archer had a point that there was nothing wrong with her sampling a taste from this age, she still did not like how demanding he was about it.

After a few seconds, she finally reached out and grabbed the fork. She did not waste any time by paying attention to the expression that was forming on Archer's face and took a bite from the Mont Blanc.

Her eyes immediately widened. She did not expect a sudden burst of sweetness to explode in her mouth. Never in her life had she eaten anything that contained so much flavour! Her meals back in Britain were always bland and tasteless, not that she had dared say anything as it was her trusted knight Gawain who was always willingly preparing her meals.

Saber's moment of bliss was cut short when she heard Archer chuckling. "And you claimed to 'have no need for confections'. Despite that attitude of yours, you still find pleasure in these simple things." The man gave Saber a seductive smirk before he took another sip of his wine.

The woman's hand tightened on the fork. "And you claim to have no intention to insult me, but your words say otherwise."

"There is no shame in pleasure," Archer explained. "If you find joy in eating these pastries, then there is nothing to be ashamed of."

Her grip on the fork loosened and she made to place it back on the table, but Archer stopped her before she could. "Go on, you can finish it since you are enjoying it more than me."

"No, you were the one who ordered it. It would be rude of me to eat it all by myself," Saber sternly rejected.

"I allow it, you can eat to your heart's content."

Saber almost felt like she was stuck in a game of cat and mouse with both of them unwilling to yield. "I will only eat half of it," she compromised. "What you will do with your half is your concern."

Archer only shrugged when Saber took the fork again and carefully continued to take another bite. Unlike the first one, she could not find it in herself to enjoy it as much. Archer's intentions and behaviour were too suspicious and she did not want to lower her guard in front of him again, even if it had been a mere accident.

"You are utterly stubborn, but that is also what makes you so charming." Archer let out a sigh but his amused expression did not change.

Saber slammed the fork on the table and the whole room went silent. All attention focused on her.

Archer waited patiently for her to say anything and possibly yell or threaten, but instead, she carefully cleaned the fork and placed it next to the plate.

"I have finished my share," she announced. Her eyes did not shy away from his stare, they looked back at him with their usual fierce determination.

Archer inspected her for a short while before giving her a nod and finishing the other half of the Mont Blanc.

"While I would like to spend a bit more time here with you, it is time for us to bring an end to our talk. I'm sure your 'Master' is waiting for you."

Saber glanced over her shoulder in the direction towards the man was gesturing. She immediately spotted the albino woman she had a duty to protect: Irisviel von Einzbern. The white-haired woman was patiently waiting for Saber to return.

Saber let out a sigh of relief. It meant that this strange and unproductive encounter had finally come to an end. The woman got up and turned her attention on Archer one more time. "Well then, I shall take my leave. I thank you for this... unorthodoxly generous invitation of yours. I will make sure to return the favour, but on my terms!" she declared. "And please do not do this again."

She turned around and left the Cafe. Archer continued to watch her with interest, his eyes fixed on her with longing intensity. Yes, she was definitely a woman worthy of his attention.

"I look forward to our next encounter, Saber," he mused as he looked back at his glass of wine. "And that will be when you will finally succumb to my greatness. That is the declaration of I, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes."


End file.
